Michael Essien, who used to play for Ghana, has said that he is the only retired football player who can still play at a professional level.
After his big year at Lyon, where he won two Ligue 1 titles, Essien had a trophy-filled career that lasted more than 15 years.
When Chelsea paid Lyon $24.4 million to get him in 2005, he became the club’s most expensive signing ever.
He was at Stamford Bridge for almost a decade and helped the Blues win the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012.
The 40-year-old also played for Real Madrid and AC Milan. After a short time with Sabail FK in Azerbaijan, he called it quits.
Since then, Essien has become a manager and is now an assistant coach for the first team at Danish club FC Nordsjaelland.
The Ghanaian is one of many legends who are helping FIFA in different ways at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, which is going on right now.
Essien said that Emiliano Martinez was the best goalkeeper at the tournament during a Q&A with the organization that runs football around the world.
He also chose Raphael Varane from France as the best defender and Jude Bellingham from England as the best midfielder at the World Cup.
When asked to name a retired player who could still play professionally, Essien laughed and named himself.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid star joked, “Of all the guys I hang out with now, I think I’m the only one who can still play.”